movie "Thin Man" (1934) American Blu-ray version of the jacket
Hollywood was very important in the development of sound detective films in the 1930s. One part-excellent logical language analysis has been brought into full play, so detective films have become popular.
Beginning in 1929, there have been a series of Sherlock Holmes detective films; there are also the "Charlie Chan" series and the "Mr. Wong" series (both are Chinese detectives, and the Charlie Chan series from 1929-1949 In 2015, a total of 45 films were filmed), "The Thin Man" (1934) and other detective films, each in a series.
The opening image of the movie "Skinny" (1934)
"Skinny" is different from other detective films in New York on July 9, 1934. , Director WS Van Dyke (1889-1943) blended comedy and suspense for the first time.
William Powell (1892-1984) played the retired detective Nick, Mana Loy Myrna Loy (1905-1993) played his wife Nora, Nick is not only good at solving crimes, but also with humorous language and Comedy action to create a "laugh" fruit.
The image of William Powell in the movie "The Thin Man" (1934)
This is one of the most popular movies in 1934.It inspired five follow-up works, and won four nominations for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Actor at the 7th Academy Awards in 1935. However, it was made according to the standards of a cheap B-level film.
Manna Roy and Clark Gable (right) in the movie " man world" (1934) · Willian _span2p He and Mana Roy co-starred in "Man's World/Manhattan Melodrama" (1934) earlier in the same year-this was also the famous bank robber John Dillinger in the Midwest during the Great Depression, John Dillinger (1903). -1934) the last movie they saw, and they were quickly selected by MGM to star in this crime comedy. The film was unbelievably completed in only two weeks.
The image of Mana Roy in the movie "Skinny" (1934)
People, that is, an exotic, non-American image. The relatively rigid image runs through her silent film period. Like William Powell, she didn't change until the sound era.
This turning point has undergone a subversive change in "Men's World". W.S. Van Dijk discovered that Mana Roy has a special sense of humor and witty reflexes.
Mana Roy and Clark Gable (left) in the movie "Men's World" (1934) in the image
at thedinnerIn order to test Mana Roy’s responsiveness, WS Van Dijk deliberately pushed her into the swimming pool, and the witty and clever Mana Roy made a very appropriate treatment and response, which made WS Van Dijk see She is the perfect candidate for Nora in "Skinny Man."
Even though the boss Louis B. Mayer (1884-1957) strongly opposed it, W.S. Van Dijk’s persistence won the role for Mana Roy. Mana Roy also entered the ranks of Hollywood's first-line actors because of this role.
movie "Thin Man" (1934) stills, Mana Roy
The opening of the movie was set three months ago, most of the time after that It all happened during the holidays, including the cocktail parties on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and the dinner about New Year’s Eve where the murderer was revealed.
This movie is adapted from a novel by Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), the father of noir fiction. As far as the novel is concerned, it does provide clues, suspects, and an explanation of a series of murders. .
Maureen O'Sullivan (second from right) and William Powell (first from right) in the movie "The Thin Man" (1934) image _strongspan _span11 p12 Judging from the film’s tone and intention, it is more like a dialogue version of Fred Astaire (1899-1987) and Ginger Rogers (1911-1995) musical.There is a group of elegant people in the attic suites of luxury hotels, and people don’t see any hint of the Great Depression.
In the movie "Skinny Man", detective Nick and his wife Nora are an interesting couple. Nick is a retired private detective, and his current job is to eat soft food. Oh, that's a mistake!
Mana Roy (right) and William Powell in the movie "The Thin Man" (1934) in the video
is a business and wealthy wife Lest she spends their pensions because she has no money, the husband and wife's temperament is also a must. They love to fight and make faces and flirt. Isn't this background soft enough?
Actually Dahir Hammett 's work is really soft? There are still black men and women in the story, and society is still full of ugliness and cruelty, but with this couple, you will feel a bit of romance in it, and the interpretation of William Powell and Mana Roy in the film is even more famous.
The image of William Powell in the movie "The Thin Man" (1934) promo
Nick wants to retire safely, and it’s hard to come back to New York for the New Year. The case went to the upper body inexplicably, and the active and enthusiastic Nora persuaded him to help, but of course Nick had no intention of going back to his old career, but it was difficult to avoid getting into the thief ship, and he accepted his fate.
When he learned that his old patron inventor suddenly disappeared and was involved in a murder case, although Nick kept verbally saying that there was no need to be nosy; but he still took the initiative to care for his patron’s family on the premise of balancing the relationship between husband and wife. Broken emotions, treat the old patron’s daughter as his own.
images of various characters in the film "The Thin Man" (1934)
In dealing with these trivial things, he showed great humor and wisdom.
The case was so weird at the beginning. The inventor disappeared for no reason. His daughter sought someone to find the hapless Nick on his head. The strange and wonderful ex-wife broke into the mistress’s house but only found her body and a bunch of weird people. Personnel matters are complicated and difficult to understand, including the son who loves to debate, the little white-faced stepfather who acts as a ghost, the reporter and policeman who disturbs the people. Forget about these, the most helpless is the fact that he wakes up and finds that someone is pointing a gun at him. How will Nick face him? Right?
movie "Skinny" (1934) stills, William Powell and Mana Roy
The first step is to stun your wife! The unique comedy effect of the film is first-rate, coupled with its own suspense style, people laugh while maintaining the instinct of chasing the drama.
The last scene is so dumbfounding, what does Nick do? "The Last Supper"? Classical reasoning adventure? I almost thought I was watching a movie adapted from the novel by Agatha Christie (1890-1976), but the facts are in front of us. All the suspects in the Nick Jozi case went home to have dinner together, by the way, after the opening of the truth.
film "The Thin Man" (1934) set, the main creators are all making final preparations for the filming of "The Last Supper"
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img13 The image of "The Last Supper" in "Skinny Man" (1934)
Although Dahir Hammet is known for his ruthless novels,And John Huston (1906-1987)'s 1941 movie "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) is one of the early examples of film noir, but "Skinny Man" is essentially a living room comedy with corpses hidden. .
The plot of the movie is so absurd that no reasonable audience can understand it, and the movie basically makes no effort to ask the audience to understand it.
The image of William Powell in the movie "The Thin Man" (1934)
The typical image of Detective Nick in the film is unable to explain the glass of wine. Between incidents, he nodded wisely, as if he understood everything that happened, and did not intend to share his insights with others.
When a reporter asked him: "Can't you tell us something about this case?" Nick replied, "No. This will delay my drinking time."
On the set of the movie "The Thin Man" (1934), director WS Van Dyke (who is sitting under the camera in a suit) is watching the performance of William Powell and Mana Roy
You know "The Thin Man" The reason why the shooting time of the film is so short is that the set of the film is very few, and the location is also minimal. The reason is that the film has a lot of dialogue and few action scenes.
is also famous because director W.S. Van Dyke is known for his strict adherence to schedules.
The film investment is so small and the filming is so good. The reason why it can do this is because the indoor scene is concise and elegant, and the black and white photography makes it wear these beautiful actors.
film "The Thin Man" (1934) set, from left: Henry Wadsworth, Mana Roy, WS Van Dyke, Maureen O'Sullivan, William Powell
In addition to William Powell and Mana Roy, it also includes Maureen O'Sullivan (1911-1998) and a young man, Caesar Romero. Cesar Romero's (1907-1994) casual clothes and formal attire looked more attractive than they actually were.
And William Powell, who is 1.82 meters tall, guards Mana Roy at 1.68-or sometimes she just tilts, as if the wind is blowing from her direction, and also gives the movie "The Thin Man" Brings a kind of elegance.
promotional photo of the movie "The Thin Man" (1934), Mana Roy and William Powell
if we can make it clear that "The Thin Man" is not a piece The story of the murder and how to solve it, so what is it? It is a personal style movie, a living life movie as a work of art.
We know very little about Nick and Nora, except that he was a famous detective in San Francisco and retired after marrying Nora.
Mana Roy (right) and William Powell in the movie "The Thin Man" (1934) in the image
vaguely to a friend according to Nick As explained,Her father left her a short section of railway, and "Oh, there are many other things", and he will take care of them.
As a result, Nick and Nora have a lot of money. They spend their time traveling, meeting old friends, meeting new friends, and drinking a lot of alcohol all day long.
An image of William Powell in the movie "Skinny Man" (1934)
There is a section in the movie where he wakes up Nick Nora immediately in the middle of the night He and her each poured a glass of wine, and then when she left the room, he greedily drank her glass of wine.
Regardless of the actual definition of the word drunkard, they are consistent. But for this movie they are not, because their free drinks have no special effect on themselves or the plot.
Mana Roy (left) and William Powell in the movie "Skinny Man" (1934) in the image
it is just an act of smoking That way, let their hands be able to do some things, some things to talk about, and have a reason to walk around the room.
Even when Nora appeared with an ice bag on his head, it looked more like a gimmick than a hangover.
Nick and Nora surrendered an armed intruder in their apartment one night, and they read the news in the newspaper the next morning.
Mana Roy (left) and William Powell invaded images in the movie "The Thin Man" (1934)
said " Was shot twice,Nick noticed. "I read in the tabloid that you were shot five times. "Nora said. "It's not true," Nick said. "He didn't have a pill near me at all." "
In addition, the filming of "Skinny Man" coincided with the first year of the strict implementation of the "Production Code", so the creators tried every means to achieve a balance between this.
Therefore, Mana Lowe plays Nora, who has a rigorous beauty, does not need to use too much sexiness to destroy the comedy color of the film, and at the same time can give people plenty of room for imagination.
movie "The Thin Man" (1934) Promotional photo, Mana Roy and William Powell
Between exposure and taboo, the image of Mana Roy provided Hollywood at the time with an aesthetic standard.
Actually Ma Na Roy is a likable foil for William Powell, but in this film, she is essentially not only a suspenseful and tense plot in his film, to create the tension of the drama, but also to make people laugh from time to time.
Director WS Van Dyke uses a light comedy style to show the magical intelligence of detectives and shape their special charm; at the same time, it enriches the content of the film because of this.
movie "Mist and Mist" (1936) stills, Mana Roy and William Powell And William Powell
movie "The Shadow of the Thin Man" (1941) promotional photo,Mana Roy and William Powell
Because of the popularity of "The Thin Man", five sequels were released successively: "After the Thin Man" in 1936 and 1939 "Another Thin Man" and "Shadow of the Thin Man" in 1941 (the above three films are all directed by WS Van Dyke); there is also "The Return of the Thin Man / Suspicious Clouds" in 1945. "Thin Man Goes Home", "Song of the Thin Man" in 1947.
William Powell's image in the movie "Men's World" (1934)
William Powell never gave up because of his illness in 1942 to 1943 For the filming of the "Skinny Man" series, MGM chose to wait because they knew no one could replace William Powell.
They also know that this "model couple" combination of William Powell and Mana Lowe is irreplaceable and cannot be copied.
Later, because William Powell and Mana Lowe no longer performed this series, it had to come to an end.
Interestingly, in addition to the "Skinny" series, MGM also filmed "Double Wedding" (1937), "Let me love you again I Love You Again" ( 1940) and "Love Crazy" (1941), these are comedies featuring William Powell and Mana Roy as the heroes and actresses. They can be regarded as extensions or supplements of the "Skinny" series.
Before the male protagonist William Powell came into the movie in 1922,He once performed some humble small roles in Broadway , but his efforts and talents were finally released in the show. Hollywood producers all appreciate that his solid acting skills can shine on the screen.
William Powell and Carol Lombard ended their short marriage in 1932
's virginity in Hollywood "Sherlock Holmes" (1922) directed by Albert Parker (1885-1974), played the role of Professor Moriarty's accomplice in the film.William Powell’s best work is the classic neuro-comedy “My Man Goldfrey/My Steward/My Godfrey My "Man Godfrey" (1936), Carol Lombard is a rare talented comedian in the United States. Her second husband is Clark Gable (1901-1960).
film "The Thin Man" (1934) set, from left: WS Van Dyke, Huang Zongzhan, Henry Wadsworth, Mana Roy _span2
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movie "The Thin Man" (1934) set, right is Huang Zongzhan
"The Thin Man" is particularly worth mentioning by James Wong Howe (Photography 1899-1976) guide.
Huang Zongzhan made 135 films in his lifetime and won 11 Oscar nominations for best photography. He was awarded with "The Rose Tattoo" in 1955 and "Hud" in 1963. He is the first Chinese to win an Oscar. The "high-contrast" lighting used by Huang Zongzhan in "The Thin Man" is a classic technique of this type of film.
movie "Thin Man" (1934) American version poster
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